Arrangement for basting on a sewing machine



March 26, 1968 R. GIANINAZZI 3,374,754

ARRANGEMENT FOR BASTING ON A SEWING MACHINE Filed Feb. 16, 1966 IN VENTOR EJAANDO G/AN/ AZ BY F '5."

ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofiice 3,374,754 Patented Mar. 26, 1968 3,374,754 ARRANGEMENT FOR BASTIN-G ON A SEWING MACHINE Rolando Gianinazzi, Geneva, Switzerland, assignor to Mefina S.A., Fribourg, Switzerland, a corporation of Switzerland Filed Feb. 16, 1966, Ser. No. 527,655 Claims priority, application Switzerland, Mar. 19, 1965,

3,886/ 65 1 Claim. (Cl. 112-158) The present invention has for its object an arrangement for basting by means of a zigzag sewing machine, the needle bar of which executes a movement in a direction transverse with reference to the direction of progression of the pieces of fabric to be sewn.

The arrangement according to the invention is characterized by the presence of a member adapted to be inserted between the hook and the needle for one of the transverse positions of the latter so as to prevent the engagement of the thread by the hook at such a moment whereby the seam stitches may be spaced by distances equal to an integer multiple of the length of stitch for which the machine is adjusted for normal sewing work.

The accompanying drawing illustrates diagrammatically and by way of example a preferred embodiment of a basting arrangement according to the invention, as incorporated with a sewing machine ensuring a zigzag stitching. In said drawing,

FIG. 1 is an elevational view on an enlarged scale, showing the location of the needle with reference to the hook on a sewing machine provided with a rotary shuttle and adapted to execute a zigzag stitching.

FIG. 2 is a plan view on a 1:1 scale of the needle hole plate of said sewing machine.

FIGURE 1a is a section taken on a line 1a1a of FIGURE 2.

FIG. 3 illustrates, by way of example, a seam adapted to be executed by means of said sewing machine for ordinary sewing.

FIG. 4 illustrates a seam adapted to be executed by said machine when basting.

The arrangement illustrated provided for basting purposes is adapted to be fitted on a sewing machine executing a zagzag stitch i.e. a machine wherein the needle bar 1 executes a transverse movement with reference to the direction of progression of the fabric to be sewn E. In FIG. 1, only the portion of the sewing machine which is of interest for the present disclosure is illustrated and, as shown on an enlarged scale, it includes the needle bar 1, the needle hole plate 2 and the rotary hook 3. Said rotary hook 3 is driven by its driving spindle 4. The needle A is secured conventionally to the lower end of the needle bar 1. The thread f is drawn out through the thread guide 5, so as to move olf its feeding means and along the longitudinal groove 6 formed in the needle bar A towards the eye 7 of the latter. In such a sewing machine, the hole 8 which ensures the passage of the needle A through the plate 2 is generally formed by an elongated slot, so as to allow the needle A to occupy any desired position in a transverse direction, in conformity with the movements executed by the needle bar 1 in a transverse direction between its operative positions on lines I and 11, under the action of the cam controlling the zigzag seam or a seam of an ornamental stitch type.

Such a sewing machine producing a zigzag stitch allows, when a suitable cam is fitted in its operative position, the execution, for instance, of a seam of the type illustrated in FIG. 3, said seam being characterized in said example by a series of five stitches alined longitudinally and associated with a stitch produced after a transverse shifting of the needle bar and by an automatic repetition of this system of stitches. It will be readily understood that if it were possible to cut out the locking between the upper thread i and the lower thread v, fed by the spool located coaxially inside the rotary hook 3, this would lead to the provision of a basting seam with stitches spaced far from one another by a distance equal to a multiple of the length of normal stitching for which the sewing machine has been adjusted for the execution of the seam illustrated in FIG. 3. Such a modification would lead to the type of seam illustrated in FIG. 4, which is of a particular interest for basting purposes, for taking garments together for instance.

In said FIG. 4, the stitches formed by the needle A in its left-hand position are shown without any locking of the thread. Consequently, holes are merely formed in the fabric, whereas the needle when in its right handtransversely shifted position actually stitches at the points 9 which are considerably spaced with reference to one another.

In order to reach such a result, as disclosed with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, the following arrangement has been devised.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, said arrangement includes a member adapted to be inserted between the hook 3 and the needle A when in one of its transverse positions with a view to preventing the engagement of the thread 1 by the hook 3 at such a moment.

In the embodiment illustrated, said member is constituted by a tube 10 secured to the needle hole plate 2 of the sewing machine and projecting downwardly of said plate down to the level of the hook 3 or possibly slightly beyond the latter. Said tube may thus serve as a guide for the reciprocation of the needle A in its left-hand position as seen in FIG. 1, which position is designated by the reference line 11.

Since for each stitch formed on the left hand side, the needle A engages said tube 10, it is obvious that the hook 3 cannot engage the loop formed by the thread 1 at the moment at which it moves into the path of the needle A. In order to prevent the hook 3 from impinging against the tube 10, the latter is secured obliquely with reference to the plate 2, as best shown in FIGURE 1a, so as to shift the needle A out of the path of the hook 3 while the latter merely slides tangentially along the tube 10 during its rotary motion. FIG. 2 shows the location occupied by the upper end of the tube 10 opening into the needle hole plate 2.

FIG. 2 also shows the slots 11, 12 and 13 formed in said plate 2 for the passage of the fabric-feeder claws.

Obviously, numerous modifications of the arrangement described may be imagined Without widening the scope of the invention as defined in the accompanying claim.

Thus, the arrangement may be secured to the needle hole plate or to any other part of the sewing machine. In particular, the tube 10 may be secured removably to the conventional needle plate 2 of the sewing machine. It may be in fact fitted on a plate secured by hooking to the conventional needle hole plate. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, said plate 2 engaged permanently by the tube 10 should obviously be replaced by a conventional needle hole plate when ordinary sewing is to be executed on the machine.

Instead of resorting to a tube as a member fitted between the hook 3 and the needle A, it is possible to resort to a trough the opening of which faces the slot 8. It is also possible to substitute for the tube 10 a blade secured to the needle hole plate, so as to extend tangentially to the hook 3, between the latter and the needle A when the latter is in its position II. Furthermore, such a blade may be fitted on a slideway arrangement secured to the needle hole plate or to another suitable part of the sewing machine, said slideway being adapted to be shifted between its operative position between the hook} and the needle A as defined hereinabove and an inoperative position outside the path of the needle A and of the hook 3. For this latter embodiment, it is not essential to change the needle hole plate 2 for executing ordinary sewing work.

The arrangement described hereinabove with reference to the accompanying drawing is of course applicable to any type of sewing machine for zigzag operation provided with a rotary hook, wherein the rotation of the hook is performed round a substantially vertical axis or even round a horizontal axis. Of course, the sewing machines which are the most suitable for the fitting thereon of such a basting arrangement are those adapted to sew ornamental stitches, that is the machines incorporating controlling cams which provide a larger amount of stitches along one side of the sewing path than along the other. .Thus, the cutting out of the locking between the upper and lower threads on the side of the sewing path which shows the greater number of stitches allows obtainingon the other side of said sewing path stitches spaced by a comparatively long distance, which is particularly favourable for basting purposes. 7

Iclaim: V

1. In combination with a zigzag stitch sewing machine, a needle bar, a needle carried by said bar, a thread carried Q by said needle, a needle hole plate over which a piece of fabric is adapted'to be moved, said hole plate provided with a perforation system extending transversely across the path of movement of said piece of fabric, said needle bar adapted to be reciprocated selectively through two different points of the perforation system during movement of the piece of fabric thereover to provide a zigzag seam, a hook disposed beneath the needle hole plate, means for moving the hook to engage the thread "carried by the needle at the end of each downward movement thereof through either of said two points, a tubular member secured to and extending downwardly from said needle hole plate and surrounding, the path of the needle References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 7/1892 Kern 112--227 X 9/1958 Enos 112-262 X RICHARD J. SCANLAN, JR., Primary Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A ZIGZAG STITCH SEWING MACHINE, A NEEDLE BAR, A NEEDLE CARRIED BY SAID BAR, A THREAD CARRIED BY SAID NEEDLE A NEEDLE HOLE PLATE OVER WHICH A PIECE OF FABRIC IS ADAPTED TO BE MOVED, SAID HOLE PLATE PROVIDED WITH A PERFORATION SYSTEM EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY ACROSS THE PATH OF MOVEMENT OF SAID PIECE OF FABRIC, SAID NEEDLE BAR ADAPTED TO BE RECIPROCATED SELECTIVELY THROUGH TWO DIFFERENT POINTS OF THE PERFORATION SYSTEM DURING MOVEMENT OF THE PIECE OF FABRIC THEREOVER TO PROVIDE A ZIGZAG SEAM, A HOOK DISPOSED BENEATH THE NEEDLE HOLE PLATE, MEANS FOR MOVING THE HOOK TO ENGAGE THE THREAD CARRIED BY THE NEEDLE AT THE END OF EACH DOWNWARD MOVEMENT THEREOF THROUGH EITHER OF SAID TWO POINTS, A TUBULAR MEMBER SECURED TO AND EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID NEEDLE HOLE PLATE AND SURROUNDING THE PATH OF THE NEEDLE RECIPROCATING THROUGH ONE OF SAID TWO POINTS, WHEREBY ENGAGEMENT OF THE HOOK WITH THE THREAD CARRIED BY THE NEEDLE IS PREVENTED WHEN THE NEEDLE MOVES DOWNWARDLY THROUGH SAID TUBULAR MEMBER AT SAID ONE POINT TO LIMIT THE STITCHES PRODUCED TO THOSE OBTAINED BY THE NEEDLE WHEN PASSING THROUGH THE OTHER OF SAID POINTS WHILE PERFORMING A BASTING OPERATION. 